Plan a Perfect Valentine's or Romantic Day
Is the pressure on you to impress your loved one with an unforgettable Valentine's Day? Don't panic. If you need ideas, read on for some of the most romantic options for Valentine's:
First of all, kick off the day with a romantic breakfast in bed and order one of Deliverance 's (Tel: 0800 019 222) mouth-watering breakfast hampers. For just £35 (plus an additional £15 for half a bottle of Mumm Champagne), the pair of you can tuck into treats such as mini croissants, delicious jam, Shetland plum smoked salmon, apple, orange and strawberry 'love' juice, chocolate truffles, tropical fruits, all perfectly packaged with your own individual love message together with a red rose. The hampers can be delivered to any Central London address between 7.30am and noon and orders can be taken until 4pm on Friday 13th.
If you're looking for an excuse to get dressed up and let your hair down on Valentine's Day, make sure you get hold of tickets for the London Masquerade Ball (Tel: 08700 600 100). A grand, Georgian mansion will be transformed and guests can expect to be greeted by stilt-walkers and fire-jugglers, serenaded by classical musicians, dance the night away, tuck into delicious canapés and knock back plenty of bubbly.
For a seductive backdrop for that very special meal, celebrate Valentine's at the romantic Babylon Restaurant (Tel: 020 7368 3993), which boasts panoramic views across the Kensington Roof Gardens and the London skyline. The 14th of February sees dinner start with a glass of champagne, followed by a three-course meal with unlimited selected wines for just £75 per person. Kick off, for example, with poached native oysters with chorizo and smoked salmon hollandaise, followed by seared fillet of venison served with wild mushroom fondant potato and mixed wild berries.
Sail through Valentine's Day with dinner and dancing aboard the stylish Silver Sturgeon . For £110 per person, you and your beloved can knock back a glass of Champagne, tuck into a sumptuous three-course dinner with wine, followed by a swirl on the dance floor. The special Valentine's package includes the Champagne reception, DJ, a three-course dinner, half a bottle of house wine and a miniature gift box of Prestat chocolates.
Why not woo your Valentine at one of Conran 's glam venues? Most of the restaurants have special offers for Valentine's Day - at Quaglino's (Tel: 020 7930 6767), for example, you can celebrate its 11th birthday at the same time. The head chef has created a tasty menu with the likes of smoked salmon with watercress and rye bread, seared scallops and crayfish ravioli. To complete the evening, there will be live jazz featuring the vocals of Richard Shelton in true Frank Sinatra style. The meal costs just £56 per person, which includes a glass of Champagne, amuse bouche, interim sorbet and coffee.
At Mju (Tel: 020 7201 6330) you can seduce your loved one with a six-course meal. For £60 per person (an additional £30 with wine), the pair of you can enjoy tasty dishes like cream of lobster soup, crab salad with caviar, rack of lamb on tomato and coriander fregula and strawberry shortcake or chocolate bruleé.
You can also pamper your tastebuds at Quirinale (Tel: 020 7222 7080) where a special Valentine's menu for £90 per couple has been created to arouse all appetites. After a glass of bubbly, dishes like warm salad of roast quail with porcini mushrooms and leeks and homemade ravioli filled with langoustine, Champagne and caviar await you.
Similarly, at Morgan M (Tel: 020 7609 3560) in Islington, two special tasting menus for £48 per head are available on Valentine's Day - one including meat and fish options, while the other is for vegetarians.
A tasty set Valentine's menu is also available at Canyon (Tel: 020 8948 2944) for £55 per person. After a starter of smoked quail with sticky black rice and apple crisps, get stuck into a char-grilled fillet of beef with potato rosti and wild mushroom jus followed by a dessert platter for two.
At Vivat Bacchus (Tel: 020 7353 2648), a delicious set meal is available for £37.50 per person. Start with seared scallops with pureed roe and chorizo, followed by tempura of soft shell crab with wasabi mayonnaise, say, ahead of tasty mains like grilled pave rump steak or roast guinea fowl breast with confit duck.
The world's first custom-built Yacht Hotel, Sunborn Yacht Hotel (Tel: 020 70599100), set within a stunning waterfront environment in the Royal Docks, is a romantic setting for Valentine's Day. Couples can enjoy a delicious meal for £35 per person at the Fifth Deck Restaurant while listening to the soothing tones of a jazz band. Those who want to make a weekend out of it should check into one of the lovely luxury cabins.
At Deca (Tel: 020 7493 7070) and Incognico (Tel: 020 7836 8866), love birds can tuck into dishes for two to share - try the grilled Dorset blue lobster that comes with béarnaise sauce to start with, followed by a delicious roasted lamb with a black olive crust. Both restaurants will also serve tasty desserts for two.
Get your Valentine's Day date off to a fiery and seductive start with dinner at Café Lazeez (Tel: 020 7434 9393) in Soho, Chelsea or the City. The tasty menu, which starts from £35 per person, will be served alongside the a la carte menu, offering delicious dishes with ingredients known for their aphrodisiac qualities, including scallops and prawns on wild rocket with mango and pomegranate vinaigrette.
Things will also be heating up at Mela (Tel: 020 7836 8635) this Valentine's. Between 10 February and 10 March, the restaurant will play host to a romantic Valentine festival celebrating aphrodisiac cuisine. The menu offers a tantalising taste of food different from traditional Indian dishes - seafood lovers should opt for the piri piri scallops followed by a lobster pepper fry.
Alternatively, for a mouth-watering and cheap lunch, head off to Patterson's (Tel: 020 7499 1308) in Mayfair, where you and your loved one can share a dozen Pacific oysters, a cheese plate, coffee and truffles for just £12 per person.
For those not wanting the evening to end - take your loved one to the stylish Zeta Bar (Tel: 020 7208 4067) at London Hilton, which boasts an award-winning cocktail menu that will set your pulses racing. If you're really looking to impress, book ahead for a table with Champagne waiting on ice.
If you're working on Valentine's Day, don't despair. Treat your Valentine to a romantic dinner on the Friday instead at the charming Don Restaurant and Bistro . For just £39.50 per person you can kick off with a glass of rosé Champagne, followed by amuse bouche and ravioli of langoustine and seared scallops in asparagus consommé. For mains, choose between medallions of monkfish in Serrano ham with saffron potatoes and chervil butter and rack of Welsh lamb on a plum tomato and rosemary tart, and last, but not least, round it all off with a hot chocolate fondant and coffee and chocolates.
A fun and sexy Valentine's Day package is on offer at the Carlton Tower (Tel: 020 7235 1234) this year. If you book in for the weekend on February 14 for only £175 per person per night, you can expect to get a bottle of Ruinart Champagne on arrival, a £50 voucher for designer lingerie from Agent Provocateur, dinner for two in Grissini restaurant on Valentine's Day, Bulgari toiletries and full English breakfast.
The Bentley (Tel: 020 7244 5555) in South Kensington is also offering lovebirds an amazing treat for just £399 per couple this Valentine's Day. The package includes luxury room for a night with continental breakfast, an Indian head massage at the spa, a meal with specially selected wine at Andrew Turner's 1880 restaurant, Taittinger rose Champagne, an orchid plant, handmade chocolates and scented candles.
Spoil your sweetheart this Valentine's Day with a romantic dinner at one of London's most prestigious hotels, The Lanesborough (Tel: 020 7259 5599). For £120 per person, romantic couples will be treated to a five-course dinner at The Conservatory featuring delicious dishes such as oyster and truffle risotto, Champagne consommé and pot-roasted veal fillet. Guests can also dance the night away to a selection of romantic favourites from Gershwin to Cole Porter, played by The Lanesborough's acclaimed musicians. To complete the evening, ladies will be presented with an exclusive Valentine's Day spa gift. During the Valentines weekend, the hotel is also offering deluxe double rooms at £565 plus VAT and executive junior suites at £690 plus VAT per night, which includes a dinner for two, a bottle of Champagne and full English breakfast in the morning.
Alternatively, impress your loved one with a stay at the luxurious myhotel Chelsea (Tel: 020 7225 7500) or myhotel Bloomsbury (Tel: 020 7667 6000), where Valentine's Day will be celebrated in style in the premiere penthouse suite of each hotel. The 'Ultimate Selection' package, which is available 14 and 15 February, costs £699 per room per night and includes everything you need for a night of passion. To kick-start the evening, a magnum bottle of pink Champagne, sevruga caviar and aphrodisiac gold leaf vodka will be on ice in your room. A giant box of chocolates will keep things sweet while you have fun with the leather blindfolds and cuffs from Ooshka. Add to this scented candles and oils along with a Champagne breakfast, and 'Ultimate Seduction' is destined to do exactly what it says.
For some fresh sea air, we suggest you head to the impressive The Grand Hotel Eastbourne (Tel: 01323 412345), where a Valentine's weekend package, starting on Friday the 13th, is available from £140 per person per night (gifts and dinners are included). Arrive on Friday afternoon, enjoy a complementary lovers cocktail, followed by a three-course meal in the Garden Restaurant and dancing to the resident band. The next day you and your partner can enjoy anything from a hard work-out in the gym to a relaxing massage in the spa. Then you can kick off the evening with a Champagne cocktail, candlelit dinner in the restaurant, followed by dancing in the Chatsworth lounge. If you're not in any rush on Monday morning, you are welcome to stay another night for additional £49.50 per person.
Escape the city and celebrate Valentine's at Weston Park (Tel: 01952 852100), a magnificent 17th Century stately home set in 1,000 acres of Shropshire farmland. Overnight packages are available on both Friday the 13th and Saturday the 14th of February. For just £140 and £150 respectively, guests can enjoy a Champagne reception, a three-course dinner with coffee and petit fours, overnight accommodation and full English breakfast. A dinner package on the 14th, which includes a Champagne reception, three-course dinner, coffee and petit fours costs £55 per person.
For some star treatment on Valentine's Day, Fredrick's Hotel and Restaurant (Tel: 01628 581000) in Berkshire is the place to be. The romantic restaurant is offering a mouth-watering four-course Champagne dinner for two for £195 per couple with treats like a winter salad with crispy duck on ginger and plum sauce, goat's cheese ravioli with spinach, chanterelles and pumpkin oil and crepes with mango and yoghurt ice cream. For another £185 per couple, why not stay the night in one of the beautiful bedrooms and be treated to a Champagne breakfast in bed?
Couples wanting to reach the heights of romance set against the beautiful backdrop of the Scottish Highlands, should check out the two night Valentine's Day package for £225 per person (either 13th and 14th or 14th and 15th of February) at The Airds Hotel (Tel: 01631 730 236), which includes dinner, accommodation and breakfast, plus a bottle of Champagne for each couple to share on arrival. For those seeking a little more of a romantic adventure, The Airds is also offering a Leap Year package (minimum two night stay to include 29th February). The special package, which is priced from £225 to £280 per person, is poised to take full advantage of the ancient Leap Year custom where women are the ones to traditionally make the marriage proposal. Those who receive a positive response, will be offered a third night for free at the hotel.
But romance doesn't end with Valentine's. Because of the leapyear, it is tradition that women propose 29 February, so if you and your (hopefully) future husband are spontaneous and up for anything, the Hilton London Heathrow Airport (Tel: 020 8759 7755) offers the ultimate Britney Spears adventure, starting with a romantic dinner with bubbly for the lady's proposal. After a night in a suite at the hotel, you are whisked off to Las Vegas the following day, where you'll get married in Las Vegas Church. To end the adventure, you can enjoy a helicopter trip over the Grand Canyon, before flying back to London 3 March.
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